The impossible shop
by WhisperingShadows46
Summary: set in early 1900s, a young girl meets the Doctor in an impossible shop. A shop that changes to whoever enters it. But some people don't come out...
1. Chapter 1

As I pulled my gray toque farther down over my ears, my mittens struggling to find a grip on the soft fabric, I stepped toward the building. To know what was in the shop you had to go inside; the patina of dust on the front window was thick, but once I thought I made out the shape of an owl on the other side of the glass, its wings lifted in frozen flight. But that was weeks ago, and for all I knew, the shop had changed. After all, that's what everyone said, that the shop changed its design when it felt like it. My friends said the shop had a personality of it's own, that no one could control. I hadn't been inside, but the small, quiet building had piqued my curiosity. People said it was huge, much bigger on the inside than on the outside, with walls and walls of merchandise.

Before I reached the window, I looked back at the snowy street. Snowflakes were falling silently, as if they were afraid of waking the rest of the world. The street lamps threw circles of light onto the ground, stirring up shadows and light together. The occasional houses had soft glows in the window, but most were dark and quiet. I trailed my hand across the smooth glass of the window, wiping my hand across the dust on the outside, peering into the yawning blackness, trying to make out something that would clue me into whatever it was I was about to see. As usual, the dust and frost were too thick to make out much. I turned and walked quickly towards the door. My hand rested on the knob, hesitating, before I turned it, pushing the door open.

I stepped inside, my eyes slowly adjusting to the dim lighting. Ahead of me stood rows and rows of books, all covered in dust. My eyes darted everywhere, trying to take it all in. I hesitantly stepped forward, then quickened my pace, my footsteps echoing off the surrounding shelves. Although the shelves were tall, they weren't long, and I soon approached the end of a row. I stopped in the middle of an intersection, a soft light glowing in the corner of my eye. I stepped towards it. I peered around the corner, my eyes widening. An old 1960s-styles London police box stood beside a shelf, a tall young man standing beside it, flipping through a book. Barely breathing, I watched him. As if sensing my presence, he snapped his gaze up from the book and to me. Confusion crossed his face. "How'd you get in?" He asked, his British accent echoing around me. "Th-the door was open." I stammered. He squinted, his eyes searching my face. Then it brightened. " Oh, yes, that's right, you're…." He tapped forehead. "I thought you'd be here." I opened my mouth, than closed it. "I don't understand, who are you?" He grinned "I'm the doctor, and I need you're help."


	2. The maze

"The Doctor?" I asked. "What, is that some sort of code name? Did I just walk into a spy novel?" He turned back to the police box, then back to me. "No, just, 'the Doctor,' that's my name." He turned back to the box. "That's not a name." I muttered as I followed him. "And what do you mean, you need my help? I don't even know who you are, and I'm pretty sure you don't know who I am." He pulled a key out of his tweed jacket, fumbling with it as he pushed it into the lock. "And what's that box? Is it some sort of decoration? I don't think it really fits in with the books." He turned. "It's my box, and you are not allowed in it just yet." He poked my nose before disappearing inside. As he closed the door, I studied the police box. It didn't look like anything special, but it sounded firm when I knocked on the side. The Doctor poked his head out of the door, opening it just enough so he could fit out but I couldn't see in. "What is it?" He asked. "What's what?" He pointed at me. "You knocked." I shook my head. "No, I was feeling the wood." He just grunted and closed the door again.

I wandered over to the dusty bookshelf, pulling out books at random and glancing at the titles, then putting them back. After a couple minutes, the Doctor leaped out of his box and clapped his hands. "Well, then…what is your name?" I frowned. "Brooklyn." He started walking down an aisle. "Well then, Brooklyn. Actually, can I call you Brook? Always wanted to meet someone named Brook. But anyway, we need to find the main head quarters, turn of the illusion, and everything will be back to normal!" He waved his hands around as he talked, and I had to duck under one as I caught up to him. "What do you mean, 'illusion', and what main head quarters?" He sighed. "I _thought_ I had put it into simple terms, but I guess not," he turned to me, "This whole shop is an illusion. You're actually not here right now, you're somewhere else, and _we_ need to find the room where it's being activated and turn it off. People have disappeared in this shop, Brooklyn, and we need to get them out." I didn't say anything. _What does he mean, disappeared? And if I'm not here, then where am I?_ Then I remembered something. "You seem to know a lot about this shop, then if you're so smart about it, why does it change?" "This shop changes to whatever the wish is of the person who enters it. It makes itself huge, so huge that it's nearly impossible to resist the temptation to explore. And if you explore it, you'll get lost." His voice grew serious. "There are hundreds of people roaming these hallways, just waiting to find their way out, and if we don't stop it, thousands more will get trapped." I grew quiet. "If there are thousands of people here, why haven't we heard any? I mean, we must be near _some_one." The Doctor scratched his chin. "That's the part I haven't figured out. We should technically be in the same place, but I haven't seen or heard anyone else other than you." I shrugged. We didn't speak after that, just walked the hallways quietly. I didn't protest to what direction we were walking; he seemed to be confident in the direction.

After what felt like hours, (Though it was probably only a half hour,) I began to go slightly crazy. I kept hearing voices, whispers, talking to me, calling out, but when I tried to listen to one, it left. I shook my head. _It's just from the silence. Your mind is playing tricks on you._ But that's when I noticed the Doctor seemed to be listening to. "Do you hear that?" He asked. We stopped walking. "Doctor-" He shushed me, holding a finger to my lips. My eyes widened in surprise, then glared at him. He turned his head, as if trying to pinpoint the noise. I realized that the noise I had been hearing was louder, more distinct. I managed to turn off my mind so I could listen clearer, than grew quiet at what I heard.

"Is anyone there? I don't know where I am!"

"Help! Somebody help me! I'm lost!"

"I'm all alone. I-there hasn't been anyone else, I've been here so long."

Among the voices, I could hear smaller children crying, and some people sobbing quietly. Shock and fear in my eyes, I turned to the Doctor. "They sound like they're right beside us, where's that coming from? Doctor, I don't understand!" The Doctor was quiet, than he began jumping up and down. "OH! Oh, well done, mate! Ah, separate transporters! Haven't seen those in a while, and, when I saw, 'a while,' I mean, _a while!_ Oh, why didn't I figure it out before, it's so simple! All these people, the ones who have walked in here, they were _transported_! Each one in a different location, yet all together! Come on!" He shot off running, leaving me to gape after him, then sprint to catch up. I had almost reached him, when I collided with something, hard. I was thrown flat onto my back, then laid there, blinking and wondering how I fell over. I heard a groan, and panicked for a second because it wasn't mine. I sat up and looked around. No one, other than the Doctor hurrying back to me. "Why are you down there? We need to save these people!" When he was almost to me, he tripped. I heard someone shout, then watched with amusement as the Doctor sprawled comically onto the floor, stirring up dust with him. I looked harder at the place he had tripped, and thought I saw a faint outline of a person. My breathing deepened, and I shot to my feet. "Doctor," my voice wavered, "I think we found someone."


	3. Doctor who?

The Doctor rolled over, leaning on his elbows and blowing his hair back from his face. Now that I was looking at the person, I was beginning to see them more clearly. I still couldn't see the body, but the outline made the bookshelves behind him blurred. The Doctor rolled to his feet, and pulled out a small, electronic device. "What's that?" I asked, as he seemed to scan the general area in front of us. "Sonic Screwdriver," He flipped it up and studied the glowing green light, "It's my tool. It can unlock doors, scan for life forms, and practically do everything else! Now, you said you thought we found someone, and according to this, we are standing in front of a human, about 5'7, blonde hair, male, and deeply terrified." He grinned. "Don't worry, we're friendly, but why can't I see you?"

As he spoke to the person, He leaned forward, searching with his hand, until he bumped into him. "Hello there. Can you see me?" Nothing, and then, "Where, I can't, I can't see you! You're so quiet, can you talk louder? Where are you, and who's touching me?" His voice had risen in hysteria, and the Doctor stepped forward. "Don't worry, we can help you, but I'm going to need to be able to see you." He pulled his hand back, and smacked it straight across his face. I winced as the man staggered over, groaning and holding his head. "Doctor! What did you do that for, I thought he wasn't a problem!" The Doctor waved his finger. "Well, if he was android, he wouldn't have felt that, and he would have just thought I was holding his face. So, because he felt that pain, it either means he's human and totally useless, or he's an extremely well thought-out plan to trap us and kill us!" He turned back to the man, who was now on the floor, "Although I probably could of not hit him so hard." I crouched down beside the figure. "You think?"

Hesitantly I reached out my hand, slowly feeling for the person leaning against the shelf. When I laid my hand against his shoulder, the feeling I got was nothing I had ever experienced before. My hand felt cold, so cold I almost couldn't bring myself to pull my arm back, and scorching heat, running in waves up and down my arm. I almost felt electric, more alive than I had ever felt, and I shivered. Withdrawing my hand, I retreated back to the Doctor, keeping a wary eye on our find. "So…. how do we see him?" He tossed his 'screwdriver' into the air, flipping it, before stuffing it back into his jacket pocket. "We don't. He'll just have to wander after us and see what we get." He jumped over the body, knocking on the shelf. " It'll make it more interesting, cause I hate boring, boring's really boring, and interesting things are just so much fun, I don't know why people choose boring jobs, they must be so hard to keep!" I scowled. "Are you enjoying this? We should take him with us, he might come in handy."

"I never said we were leaving him, I _said_ he'll have to wander after us. We can't see him, but we can _hear_ him, and we will just have to work with that." Pulling his screwdriver out again, he pointed it at the guy and turned it on. His outline became clearer, his form blurring at the edges even more, and his body shaded in, like someone had casted a shadow across him. The Doctor turned off his sonic, and put it back. "Now then, is that better? Can you hear me now? What's your name?" The man stood up, letting his hand drop from his face. "Caleb. I still can't see you, are you the two blurred outlines in front of me?" The Doctor clapped. "Yup, now, Caleb, this is the odd part," he leaned against him, which, from my point of view, he was leaning on this air, "You are going to have to follow us as best as you can, don't worry we wont leave you, unless we get separated, which then will make it almost impossible to get back together and you might have to shut this whole thing down by yourself!" My face grew blank. "I thought you said we had to do it?" He screwed up his face. "Did I say that? No, no no no, this 'room', or whatever this is, is big enough that if you hid something in it, it would be very hard to just stumble across whatever was hidden, and unless you knew where it was, it would be hard to even _find_ it. Which means that we are going to be walking a long, long time if we follow my original plan," he tapped his forehead, "stupid. I guess we will need to make up another plan. Something that involves maps and charts and lots of complicated diagrams!" His face lit up like a kids on Christmas morning and he did the thing again where he waved his hands around like he was swatting a fly. I wasn't sure what to make of this man, this 'Doctor'. He seemed like a decent person, although sometimes when he looked at me, it was as if I was entirely different from him, like I was alien. And the way he spoke, he seemed to enjoy being confusing. For the first time since we had met, I studied his face. He had a very distinct jawline, and his chin was narrow. Short brown hair curled and flipped over to the side of his face, and he had dark green eyes that lit up when he was happy or excited. _So how do you know you can trust him?_ I raised my eyebrows. I hadn't thought about that. How _did_ I know I could trust him? I just went along with him like it was the most normal thing in the world. But I didn't know anything about him, other than he had a box and a screwdriver that wasn't a screwdriver. I bit my lip, and I followed him as he started walking again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, this is my first Authors Note, so ignore any odd remarks. I wanted to say thank you to the people who have been reading my story, and feel free to post reviews and what you think I could do better or what you think should/might happen in the story. I'm sorry I haven't really been uploading at a steady pace, my schedule is really all over the place, and I don't always find time to write every day.**

**But that's probably enough, I'll let you read. Again, thanks to the people who have been reading my story, and I hope you all enjoy!**

**-Whisper**

"Well, Caleb, can you describe what kind of room you're in?" I glanced around until I saw him, walking a few feet away from the Doctor, almost beside me. Caleb cleared his throat. "Well, it's sort of like a big open cavern, almost like a cave, but it looks man-made, and there are dips in the ground with water in them. But when I go to one of the pools, it changes to show pictures. I can see my family in one, and my friends, but I can also see fictional things, like a daydream I used to have as a child., and some stories I read."

"Yes, well, that's very interesting, Caleb. What's your daydream about? Might be important, probably not, but maybe in the future, it could save our lives. Who knows? We might need to know, but only you know what it is. But that's not important at this exact moment, what _is _important, is why are you standing in the shelf?"

The Doctor lifted a finger and turned back around to face me and point at ghost Caleb, who I now noticed, was half in, half out of a nearby bookcase. I stepped back in surprise, eyebrows raised. His face growing in interest, the Doctor studied Caleb's form. "Ooh, neat. So, Caleb, where are you standing? You're standing on a pathway, on a solid surface, because you would walk around the pools of water, but me and Brook are in an aisle, we can't walk through shelves, we have to follow the aisles, like you need to stay away from the pools of water, so _you_, my friend, don't have the same walkways as us. That makes it difficult. More interesting," he started talking to himself, "Hate boring."

I suddenly stiffened; slowly realizing I was feeling uneasy, feeling a prickle at the back of my neck. Whirling around, my eyes darted through the shadows, searching…searching…. searching for what? I felt as if I _knew_ what I was looking for, something…old. Dark. Cold. I stood a moment longer, then scolded myself silently, forcing myself to take my eyes away from the shadows and back to the Doctor. "Of course, I didn't really enjoy Morocco as much I as hoped, I just really loved the name. Morrrrooooocco, and I just kind of assumed the place would be interesting too! Was I wrong! They tried to get me to join in a native dance, which was fun at first, but it got a little…hectic…I should say…. probably not the best word, but all I can think of off the top of my head. You!" He swung and pointed at me, "You haven't been listening have you? What's wrong?" I blinked. "What? Nothing, I'm… I just zoned out for a moment." "You _zoned out,_ of course you did, and lots of people do it, zoning out. I do it, when I'm in an extremely boring place, or time, like Sundays and lectures and Thursday afternoons! But not you!" Again, the hand waving. "You don't zone out. You have been listening and thinking ever since we met, and not once did you zone out. So why now? And why did it suddenly get colder?" He lifted his head and slowly turned in a circle, licking his finger and holding it up as he did. I held my breath, feeling fear slowly crawling through my body. I saw a shimmer in the corner of my eye, and I turned to face it, which meant I was facing Caleb. I looked closer at him, and realized he was _fading, _the shelves behind him slowly becoming more visible "Doctor!" I cried, more fear seeping through me. He was still facing away from me, talking softly. "Why is it getting colder? Why should the temperature change now, what happened?" Not taking my eyes off Caleb, I called to the doctor again. "Doctor! Something's wrong!"

"I know something's wrong, the temperatures dropping, and-"

"Doctor! Forget the temperature and look! Caleb's fading!" I was breathing heavier now, struggling to keep myself calm. _What's making you so scared? There's nothing here. Calm down. Nothing's here. You're just overreacting. _With half my brain panicking from seeing Caleb fading away, and the other half trying to figure out why I was so scared, I barely noticed the Doctor had finally turned around and was standing next to me, pulling out his sonic screwdriver. Pointing it at Caleb, he turned it on, banging it against his hand when it only gave out a few pathetic buzzes. When he finally got it to go smoothly, he scanned Caleb, who was almost gone, and flipped it up, reading whatever it told him. "Signals fading. Whatever was allowing him to communicate with us, it wants him back." Before I could say anything, Caleb's form disappeared, leaving the Doctor and me alone again.

The Doctor seemed frantic; scanning the area Caleb had been standing, and muttering to himself, occasionally arguing, but mostly just soft talking. I calmed myself down, slowed my breathing, and closed my eyes. _Why did you freak out? He didn't die he just got cut off. And even if that's the reason, it's still not good enough to panic._ I opened my eyes, and looked down at the Doctor, who was crouching beside a shelf, running a hand through his hair. "It's warmer." He said, closing his sonic and putting it back in his pocket. I must have looked confused, because he leaped to his feet, and started pacing. "The air. It's warmer. And you, Brooklyn, and calmer. I hope you didn't get _too_ scared, 'cause you could have gave us frostbite, which would be bad, but I think this room's combined with your thoughts. You were scared, and did you know why? No, or you would have said something. The moment you realized you were scared, the room got colder. And now, you're calmer, you're heartbeats slowing, and the temperatures rising." He stopped, and stood in front of me. "You control this room, Brooklyn."


	5. Catch up

Hey guys, Im sorry I haven't uploaded in a while, school's been hectic. I wanted to tell you that I'm working on a different story at the moment. (I will upload it, but not until I get a few chapters done.) Im going to focus on that for a bit, then add on to _The Impossible Shop._I'm sorry I wont be active for a while, but I will try to finish it soon!


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